Thursday, December 13, 2012

Cathay Pacific crews threaten no-smile strike

Cathay Pacific flight crews may stop serving alcohol and smiling at passengers
after voting in favour of industrial action during the Christmas holidays over a
salary dispute, union bosses have said.

The Cathay Pacific Airways Flight Attendants Union, which is demanding a 5%
salary increase from Hong Kong's flagship carrier, said the "work-to-rule"
measures could also throw flight schedules into chaos.

"We will be selective in providing our services," union general secretary
Tsang Kwok-fung said, adding that the form and date of the action approved
in Monday's vote is yet to be decided.

"This could include not smiling at passengers, not providing certain types of
beverages - such as alcohol - or stop serving meals," he said. "In a nutshell it means passengers will still be able to reach their
destinations except they are paying a five-star price to get a three-star
service," Tsang said.